Local substance abuse warrior honored

Friday

Dec 28, 2012 at 12:01 AM

Mary Lynn Tollison has a spacious third-floor office with a desk, computer and a view of downtown Spartanburg.

By DUSTIN WYATTdustin.wyatt@shj.com

Mary Lynn Tollison has a spacious third-floor office with a desk, computer and a view of downtown Spartanburg.But most of her work in the past 15 years has been done outside this office, in the community, evoking changes to policy and speaking out against the drug and alcohol issues that trouble her the most.When she looks out her office window, she sees a city she has helped change. One that is now smoke-free and one in which minors are ticketed for tobacco possession, something that wasn't done when she assumed her position in 1997.Tollison, who works for the Spartanburg Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, said she's been fortunate enough to stay in her career long enough to see long-term, measurable changes.“The advantage of staying with an agency and being here for a long time is that you get to see so many things come to fruition,” she said. “I'm amazed by how much the (environmental prevention program) has flourished and evoked change in tobacco laws.”Tollison said she is just committed to making a difference. Her responsibilities as environmental prevention specialist consist of looking at ways to reduce youth access to alcohol and tobacco in Spartanburg County,“I want to make a difference in Spartanburg County,” she said from her office recently. “I want to make a difference in young people. I'm just a person who wants to see change. I'm concerned about alcohol, and I'm concerned about our health risks with tobacco.”And when Tollison speaks about making a difference, or being concerned, she isn't just blowing smoke. Last week, Tollison's work and dedication was recognized.

The South Carolina Association of Prevention Professionals and Advocates, based in Columbia, awarded Tollison the Norman Peter Johnson Award for Outstanding Prevention Specialist in the state.The purpose of the award is to recognize a prevention professional for outstanding contributions in the field of prevention, according to the SCAPPA's nomination form. Nominees were required to have at least five years' experience as a prevention professional in South Carolina and he or she must exhibit exemplary performance in the core areas of prevention, including program coordination, education and training, community organization, personal growth and responsibility, and planning evaluation.Phillip Hudson, SADAC's senior prevention program coordinator, and Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright nominated Tollison for the award.In Hudson's letter of recommendation, he touted Tollison's body of work and her commitment to changing lives.“This is not just a job to her,” Hudson said in the letter. “It is her life. She is committed to reducing the negative impact alcohol, tobacco and other drugs has on our community. ... She has built partnerships with our local county sheriff and city Public Safety that I never thought possible. Mary Lynn has built a reputation with local business owners that she is there to help educate management and employees with the hopes that laws are followed and that alcohol and tobacco never passes to the wrong hands.”Wright describes Tollison as one of the hardest working people he knows.“Mary Lynn continuously strives for what is best in Spartanburg County,” Wright said in a recommendation letter. “Tollison seeks out various grants that provide for the many programs, which would not be possible without the assistance of additional funding.”One of these grants Tollison initiated allows for compliance checks, which consist of police officers sending undercover minors into stores to try to purchase alcohol or tobacco.These compliance checks have made a difference in Spartanburg over the years.When Tollison took on her position in 1997, the rate at which teens could buy tobacco in Spartanburg County was 77 percent. Today, it is less than 10 percent.

In 2007, the rate at which minors could buy alcohol was 22 percent. Today, it is less than 17 percent, which is below the state average.Part of Tollison's job also includes teaching alcohol education classes to young people who receive alcohol possession tickets — tickets that weren't written as frequently before Tollison came to Spartanburg.“Children have come back to me over the years and told me how much of a difference these classes make,” she said. “Young people say that they can see how passionate I am about what I do. And that means more to me than anything.”

Working in the drug and alcohol field in Spartanburg, a college town, does pose some challenges.“I'm still shocked about how tolerant we are as a society when it comes to underage drinking,” she said.She often hears adults say things like “Well, kids are going to drink” or “We need to provide a safe place for college kids to drink.” To Tollison, these are norms we shouldn't accept.“I think our social norm for the community ought to be we shouldn't expect them to,” she said.Tollison said she often talks to college staff when she hears about an event or policy that might be promoting alcohol use rather than stifling it.For instance, she recently recalled a time when a local bar was offering a shuttle service to take students to and from the college campus.

“You think designated driver programs are good ideas, and local colleges were supporting it,” Tollison said. “But on the other side of the coin, we know that when college students have a designated driver, they have the tendency to drink more.”She shared her concern with local colleges and local transportation and the shuttle service never happened.

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